What If You Had the Power? (A Hard Look at the Evil Within)

 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

— Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)

“No way—I could never do what Hitler did.”
We’ve all said something like that. We distance ourselves from the worst monsters of history as if they were born with black smoke coming out of their ears and hellfire in their eyes. But here’s a sobering thought:

What if they weren’t monsters to start with?
What if they were people… just like us?

That might sound dramatic. But take a good look around. Right now, we’re watching the Gaza-Israel conflict unfold—and it’s not just about land or politics anymore. It’s emotion. It’s trauma. It’s generational rage. And if (God forbid) some surrounding nations decided to cross the border to “free” Gaza or “punish” Israel, do we really think they’d carefully spare the innocent?

I don’t know.
But I do worry.

Because history suggests they wouldn’t. They wouldn’t surgically remove the guilty and preserve the innocent.
They would burn everything.

And the truly frightening part?

They’d feel justified doing it.

The Potential for Evil Isn’t Just in History Books — It’s in Us

Give someone enough pain, power, and propaganda, and you’d be amazed what they’ll do.

• That’s what happened in Rwanda — where neighbors killed neighbors with machetes.

• That’s what happened in Germany — where pastors turned in Jews while singing hymns.

• That’s what happens when a man slaps his wife and says, “She deserved it.”

This is the same darkness that crouches at the door of every heart.
And that’s exactly what Jesus was trying to wake us up to.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not murder’… But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”
— Matthew 5:21-22

You don’t need a gun or a throne to become dangerous.
All you need is a bitter heart, a convincing excuse, and a little power.

So What Do We Do with This?

C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, made us uncomfortable on purpose.
He said:

“We do not merely know the law. We break it. We say others shouldn’t, but we do.”

We’re not just flawed. We’re compromised.
We judge others while excusing ourselves.
We puff ourselves up with little good deeds and ignore the rot underneath.

If God is just, He must judge this.
If God is merciful, He must still deal with it.

And that’s what the Cross is.

Jesus Didn’t Come Just to Clean Up the World — He Came to Clean Up You

You’re not as innocent as you think.
But you’re not beyond hope either.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
— Psalm 51:10

Jesus died to take the judgment you and I deserve and rose to give us a new heart — not just new laws or slogans or causes.
Because if your heart isn’t changed, even your justice becomes violence.

Questions to Wrestle With

• What would I become if I were hurt deeply and handed power?

• Do I think I’m “good enough” — or do I recognize my need for mercy?

• Am I willing to face the darkness in my heart before it becomes darkness in the world?

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
— 1 John 1:8-9

Today, choose not to deceive yourself and see what is in your heart.